When we're focused on building a creative practice, business or career, it's easy to get caught up in maintaining a constant hustle mode of making, going after opportunities, building our network, promoting ourselves and our work! However, taking breaks from our creative work, whatever that may be, is necessary and truly valuable.
“Research on naps, meditation, nature walks and the habits of exceptional artists and athletes reveals how mental breaks increase productivity, replenish attention, solidify memories and encourage creativity” Ferris Jabr Scientific American 2013.
Stepping away from our creative practice or business even for a short time can help us look at our artwork, creative or business challenges with fresh eyes and new inspiration. Earlier in my career as a creative professional I used to take pride in not “needing” to take breaks. I often ate lunch while working at my desk and felt I needed to be constantly productive. I have also worked for and with other creatives over the years who fall into these habits and mindset. Many end up burning themselves out. Personally, I have come to learn the value of taking a break in my day and I find myself regularly encouraging clients I’m coaching to find ways to take breaks for themselves. Now I break for a proper lunch and I’m intentional about taking quick breaks to help me declutter my mind and reset my focus. I grab a 10 minute walk between clients or I step outside and do nothing but stare at my garden for a few minutes. These little breaks help me be more present and creative with my clients and it helps to spark fresh inspirations for my writing and my business too. I'm aware that often my best ideas have come to me while I was taking a break!
Taking a longer break or vacation can be even more beneficial. I read recently in a Harvard Business Review article that Lin-Manuel Miranda conceived of Hamilton while on vacation.
“It’s no accident that the best idea I’ve ever had in my life — perhaps maybe the best one I’ll ever have in my life — came to me on vacation,” he shared. “The moment my brain got a moment’s rest, Hamilton walked into it.”
Vacations allow us to step away from our daily routines, deadlines and work-related stress which helps us to revitalize our bodies, minds and creativity. By immersing ourselves in new places or experiences or giving ourselves permission to do nothing, we make space for new inspirations and new insights to take hold.
“Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets. The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration — it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done.” Tim Kreider, Essayist, Cartoonist
Breaks are not a luxury but rather an essential component in any artist’s or creative’s work! And so I invite you to think about how you might build breaks into your day-to-day work. And if you haven’t already done so this summer or this year, I hope I’ve inspired you to schedule some longer chunks of time off as well! Be intentional about this and I bet you will see the benefits. By integrating breaks into our routines and planning we can build more sustainable and fulfilling practices, businesses and careers as creative professionals. Perhaps the best idea you’ll ever have is just waiting for you to take a break!
Image Credit: Michael Evans
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